Cowboys pull off trade for quarterback

Forget Rex Grossman, Byron Leftwich and any of the other free agent candidates.

Tony Romo’s new understudy is Jon Kitna.

The Cowboys announced Saturday afternoon that they have acquired Kitna from Detroit in exchange for cornerback Anthony Henry.

Kitna started only four games last season before an October back injury landed him on injured reserve. Henry, 32, started all 16 games in 2008, notching 55 tackles, two sacks, two pressures, seven pass breakups and one interception.

The Cowboys signed Henry as a free agent in 2005 and he was entering the final season of his contract. He spent his first four seasons with Cleveland. Had he stayed with the Cowboys, he probably would have spent the 2009 season at safety because the Cowboys are looking to either trade or cut Roy Williams.

Kitna turns 37 in September. He has 152 touchdowns and 151 interceptions in a 12-season career that includes stops at Seattle, Cincinnati and Detroit. During that span, he’s thrown for 27,293 yards.

The move reunites Kitna with wide receiver Roy Williams. In 2006, Kitna helped the former Texas star make his first and only trip to the Pro Bowl. The trade also lands Kitna on the same team with a player he once disparaged publicly, linebacker Bradie James. Kitna knocked James’ play after the Lions beat the Cowboys in 2006. The two reportedly patched things up after Dallas sank Detroit in 2007.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Henry was due a $1 million roster bonus in June and was scheduled to earn $3.6 million in 2009.

Kitna has a year left on his deal and is scheduled to collect $1.95 million.

Now my thoughts: I like the deal. Henry was never anything special and I doubt he would have been happy playing safety after all those years as a corner. In Kitna, the Cowboys get a fiercely competitive, battle-tested QB who can push Romo.